


A Riddle of Knives and Flowers

by YomiNoKura



Category: League of Legends
Genre: Angry Sex, Angst, Attempted Murder, F/M, Flower Language, Happy Sex, Hate, Murder, Rivalry, Smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-01
Updated: 2016-12-06
Packaged: 2018-08-12 07:55:16
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,567
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7926796
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/YomiNoKura/pseuds/YomiNoKura
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He definitely remembers her. No matter how she tried to hide from him, flowers bloom to show their hidden beauty.</p><p>There's only a sigh between them as their souls intertwine again.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I ended up playing League again! I hope you enjoy this sort of multichapter fanfic?

Zed wakes with a start. The moon shines into the window of his assigned bedroom in the League- giving him some vision of his surroundings. Before he can even focus, a thought runs through him- a summoning from the same summoner for the past week. He groans, but reaches for his mask before he looks for his candle.

He hates to look at his own face- a face that has been through so many battles- internally, and with the outside world. A face that has scars littered over his complexion, even if it’s a quick glance in the mirror when he dresses.

He’s usually a difficult champion to use on the field, but this summoner knew everything seemingly already- how he moved and what to do. There was no hesitation in where she directed him- something that couldn’t be copied from any guide or tome giving advice. 

A full hour later, he’s returned to the champion select, where the summoners appear behind them. His new summoner makes him feel nervous. Despite the anonymity of the League’s summoners- he can tell that his new summoner is Ionian- his homeland’s resident at one time, how her posture was, and her dry Ionian accent sounded as she thanked him after every match. 

Just like now.

“Thank you for answering, Zed,” she quietly thanks, bowing to him. Her features are covered by the hood of her summoner robes, but it’s obvious she’s shorter than Zed. He’s always taken aback on what to do when she thanks him, so he just goes for the typical nod, and leaves her.

If he stayed, he would’ve realized she started crying. Instead, he plans for a nice long nap back in his residency.

She just wipes her tears and walks away, ignoring concerns from her fellow summoners.

Zed hates undressing. It’s just a “hate-yourself-as-you-take-off-your-shirt” ordeal, as along with his face, there’s scars everywhere. At least you can do that in the dark and privacy of your own home. He strips off quickly, and gets ready for bed, ready for a dreamless sleep.

What sleep brings instead is reminders of the past.

It’s been years since this memory.

“Zed!” a girl calls as he’s training on the ninja grounds. He turns, and sees she’s dressed as a kunoichi with her hair tied up. Despite her dress denoting she was an assassin, her expression is soft and dreamy, smiling lazily as she runs towards his shirtless self. Zed grins in response, a rush of affection coursing through him as she runs and throws her arms around him in a bone crushing hug.

“Hey. How are you?” he asks, and she giggles lightly.

“I’m fine. Maybe a little tired from the job- this guy was really touchy…” she trails off, and sighs. “I got rid of him quickly though.”

“Good. I can’t stand someone like that alive anyways.” Zed growls as the kunoichi laughs.

“Well. It’s okay now. You need to take a break anyways.” she pouts, grabbing his larger hand and pulling him away from the training ground.

“I guess you’re right,” he chuckles, letting the girl drag him along into the field of flowers nearby. They flop over, laughing. She gets up, letting go of Zed’s hand, to go pick flowers for a flower crown. Zed watches her look over red and white flowers, pick them up, then run back to weave them into a crown next to him.

Her fingers weave the stems skillfully, as she returns back to sit next to Zed, who smiles at her. She blushes as she tucks flowers here and there in the crown, concentrating quietly. When she’s done with it, she leans over to put it on Zed’s head as he lies down. 

The crown is of red chrysanthemums and white violets- a secret meaning behind them Zed doesn’t understand quite yet. He sits up for it to stay on his head after some time of her trying to fiddle with it, making her grin at her handiwork. “You’re gonna be the death of me if Shen isn’t,” he states and she snorts uncharacteristically. 

“You’re just as good as him,” she responds, and then tucks back pieces of his black hair so they rest under the crown better. “And you’re not the master’s son. Be proud of that.”

“Yeah, but I want to be the best,” he sighs, curling a flower stem around his finger before plucking it.

“You’re the best to me.” she quietly states, letting her words hang in the air between them as she quietly takes his hand.

“I just want to be the strongest,” he responds, twirling the small white flower in his other hand. “I want to promise you something.” he starts, his heart pace quickening.

“What is it?” the girl asks, turning fully towards him.

He gently separates his other hand from hers, and winds the flower’s stem into a ring as he speaks. “When I beat Shen,” he states, “I’ll marry you then.” Slipping the flower ring on her right hand, feeling shyer than he ever has in his life. 

Her eyes light up, shining bright in his sight.  
Then it shifts to a night scene.

She unties her black face mask, allowing it to fall to the floor of her room. He knows he’s right when he saw her outline when the Order of the Shadows stampeded the Kinkou Order’s compound. She had just watched from above as he destroyed the very order that she held dear to her.

“I knew you would find me,” she softly states, turning around to face Zed, the moonlight framing her face. It hurts to look at her now after so long. The once-innocent girl he knew was now a heartbreakingly beautiful woman after years of maintaining the balance she believed in so strongly.

“...” He stays silent as he watches her undo the belt on her chest that held the sheath of her sword, tossing it aside. It’s silent here in her quarters, unlike the screams of those defeated below them, signifying the era of the Kinkou Order was finished. She continues to unstrap her hidden blades in her shirt, then just studies him.

She couldn’t see his face because of his mask, and he’s thankful, as he was in shock at her certain surrender.

“Kill me.” she demands quietly, tears threatening to overflow. “I don’t want to fight you.” Her hands curl into fists. How could she still love him? He was a traitor to the Order she served so well. But even if she was an excellent ninja, she had one flaw about her.

She could love. Most ninjas by the time of adulthood, they put their emotions after their missions. But she couldn’t let it go as the years let on.

“What are you talking about?” he demands from the kunoichi in front of him, who smiles peacefully. “I came here to take you with me.”

She takes her silent steps towards him, wrapping her arms around him into a comforting hug. “The shadows don’t want me, Zed.” she murmurs. “I think you know that. Just kill me, and run.”

“I can’t,” he tries, but she’s firm.

“They’ll use me to get to you. You know this,” she begs, unwrapping her hands from around him. “Do it, now. Just stab me.” she backs away, maintaining eye contact with him as her tears spill over, two silver lines shining down her face. “I’ve always loved you.”

Zed shivers, flicking her hand as the large blades that are strapped to his arms flash out, a deadly silver as the sword thrown to the ground did earlier. His left hand goes up to take off his mask, and she sees his new white hair, unfamiliar to her. Scars litter his face, the most notable one on his eye.

He closes his eyes as he stabs her.

It’s a clean stab to her abdomen as she gasps in pain. She’s not Akali- a girl that was trained to not feel pain, so it’s worse than anything she’s ever had during her job. “Fuck,” she whispers, her eyesight blurring out as Zed pulls the blade out. Blood splatters on his clothes as she coughs it up as well. Immediately, she falls over, blood gushing out of her open wound. Zed catches her, squatting to keep her close to the floor.  
“I’m so selfish,” she murmurs, slowly closing her eyes. 

“Why did you want me to kill you?” he asks quietly, running his right thumb over her cheek. He refuses to cry, feeling his tears burn the back of his eyes.

“I’m a cruel person, Zed,” she mutters, closing her eyes as her head tilts back. “This is to make you stronger in the end. I want to make you someone haunted for the rest of your life since I’m an awful person.”

“Why do this?” he demands, shaking slightly the kunoichi in his arms.

She ignores his question, grinning weakly. “Hey….After this, you need to leave, idiot,” she chastises gently. “Would you….Call me my blessed name before you go?”

His tears drip onto her cheeks, which were dry from tears that would never spill over. “K-Kaida,” he stutters out. “Kaida.” he repeats, his lips dry.

“Thank you,” she manages, blood spilling out from her wound at a quicker pace. “Now, run. Zed. The new master of the shadows.”

He gently sets her body on the floor of her room in the pool of blood that grew even quicker. Zed ignores the fact he’s covered in her blood. Before he leaves her there, he kisses her forehead gently. Covering his face in his mask, he’s a mere shadow as he jumps through the window.

He thought that would be the end of that harsh memory, remembering what he said to the student under him asked why he was covered in blood.

“It’s my former love,” he had numbly explained. “Now be quiet.”

But it didn’t end. This wasn’t part of his memory of was unfolding in front of him.

Two blurs appear in the room over the body of Kaida, who was barely clinging to life. “Shen….” Akali appears from one of the blurs, like she was clearing up. She throws her kamas to the floor, rushing to cradle Kaida’s head. “Do you have a potion?” she asks, desperate to save her comrade.

Shen nods as he also comes into focus, uncorking a bottle and passing it to Akali, who tilts it into Kaida’s unmoving body. Zed watches in shock as the stab wound he made closes up, healing her slowly. 

Her eyes flutter open, and she grins at Akali. “Ta..da…” she groans.

“Why did you do that?” Akali almost demands to the injured kunoichi, who just shrugs.

“To make him realize.” was her response.

Zed jolts up. Sunlight is streaming through his window, and he almost cringes at it, if it wasn’t for the information he just learned. Kaida survived that from almost two years ago? Where was she?

His stream of thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door. He rolls his eyes, but gets out of bed to answer it.

All that’s on the doorstep is a striped white and purple carnation with a note.

The note reads: _“The unknown language is the most expressive.”_


	2. Bars

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Yeah..” she trails off before turning to the bartender. “Hey, bartender. Give me a strong drink.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I AM TRASH

Knives thunk against the target board, sinking into the wood with no hesitation. The girl who throws them huffs, sweating from the grueling training. “Not good as before, but getting there,” she states between breaths.

“You’re right. Your accuracy and power has gotten better, but your accuracy still needs work.” her mentor notes, and she nods. “The gap between your former physical power and now has started to close, but it’s still weaker than we need it to be to join the squadron.”

“I know, Kane,” she responds. “I think….My body still remembers that injury. It’s acting like I still have it.” She reties her hair in the front into her ponytail. “It’s…. Difficult.”

“That’s why we’re trying to eliminate it as a means of training- physical and magical abilities. It’s a mystery on how you’re so responsive to any kind of magic. Most ninja don’t have that kind of ability- it’s usually used to enhance their strength, like in your friends.”

“Shen and Akali? Yeah.” the young woman in front of him nods, wiping the sweat off her forehead. “I’m weaker than most ninja anyways, even if I was good compared to others.”

“Talking about magic, try that absorb thing again on me.” Kane states, and the woman nods. Standing up to her superior, she raises her right hand up to his forehead, and touches it gently. Kane almost buckles his knees at the loss of his abilities, so she quickly gives them back to him, yelping as she grabs his arm.

Kane is a middle aged Noxian, built like an ox. His silver-white hair shines in the sunlight of the training facility, who helps him up after giving his powers back. She’s an Ionian, a strange contrast from his upbringing. “Are you okay, Kane?” she questions, and the other just chuckles

“I don’t think I’ll ever get used to that,” he laughs warmly as he gets back on his feet. “By the way, Maide invited us to Post Game for dinner today.” 

“Again?” she groans. “I really don’t want to go-”

“So you can figure out another flower to send to him?” Kane cuts in as rolls his eyes. “It’s been a week. He can wait for another hint.”

Kane was the only person that was aware of _________’s former relationship to Zed, as she confessed her entire story to him as they trained at first.

“But-”

“No buts. Free food.”

__________ sighs. “You’re right. I’ll be ready in an hour.”  
Zed typically spends his Friday nights out in bars. Of course he doesn’t wear his armor and helmet out, as that could go really wrong if in front of the right people.

He takes another at the bar of After Game, a sports bar in the middle of the city around the Institute. The Ionian alcohol is like fire in his veins as it heats up his body slightly. The bartender just wipes off his cups as Zed glances around the bar. Zed watches a band of what appeared to be summoners come in, with their track jackets on. Each summoner had a symbol of their country stitched to both the top of the sleeves and their backs, varying colors between the eight present.

“Kane-!” one of the Ionian summoners yell as Zed narrows in on the source of the voice. “What the hell?” she questions as she tries to reach for her hair tie from the older Noxian. Zed studies her features, a large scar over her nose the first thing he notices. It’s a pale pink scratch across her face, a contrast from her attractive features. Her mouth is set in a scowl as she jumps up to give this “Kane” a roundhouse kick. He’s not down for the count, but it’s enough for his to double over as she snatches the white ribbon, immediately tying her hair up completely.

One of the other summoners just shrug and turn to tell the host how many are in their party. The one he was studying earlier glances as him, before slightly rotating her head to grin at him. He just gaped at her openly, too drunk to care about her reaction or who she even was.

She notices his obvious staring and just gives him a melancholy smile before being hauled off by “Kane”. 

Kane and the other summoners sit around a table, at varying degrees of slouching from the stiff posture his underling had while she glanced at the bar from across the lounge to Jei’s hard slouch that must’ve taken years to perfect. “Hey, you okay?” Jei asks, and the distracted female just turns abruptly.

“Yeah..” she trails off before turning to the bartender. “Hey, bartender. Give me a strong drink.”

The bartender nods.


	3. Twisted

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've come back from hell y'all

Another flower. Zed sighs at it, leaning over to pick it up. It’s another lazy Sunday, so he takes inside before he changes into his typical clothing before heading over to the library for his weekly research.

Zed scribbles down on his list of flowers that’s been showing up on his doorstep weekly inside the Institute’s library. He sighs, wondering who the hell has been sending these around the same time weekly. After that dream recollection, he wants to believe it’s Kaida, but he figures it would be unlikely she would enter the Institute of War at all. If she was a champion- he would’ve already seen her. If she was a summoner- he couldn’t tell which one she was as the hooded robes were ensure that all summoners were anonymous- mostly since Noxians would protest at the control of a Demacian or Ionian summoner. He’s only met several summoners with their hoods off, mostly Demacian. A majority of summoners were male- from what Zed is guessing, but the female summoners are just as talented as the male.

No matter. Zed’s thoughts were wandering off when he should’ve guessed the next flower. He opens up the book again, reading over the different flowers and their meanings. All of the meanings have been melancholy, or even actually sad. He sighs, checking his list again at the meanings.

_Striped Carnation- No; Refusal; Sorry I Can't Be with You: Wish l Could Be with You_   
_Orange Lily- Hatred_   
_White Violet- Let's Take a Chance on Happiness_   
_Pink Camellia- Longing for You_   
_Forget-Me-Not- True Love, Memories._

The list is short, but the meanings shine through to him clearly. This mystery person missed him, and was in love with him. That much is obvious.

He closes the book, and folds the list into a small piece of paper, slipping it in his pocket before he gets up from the table between the shelves. Returning the book to the place he found it, he starts to leave. A summoner doesn’t pay attention as she emerges into view from a shelf, tomes in hand. The summoner bumps into Zed, and falls over with a short feminine yell. Her tomes scatter across the floor as the hood of her robes falls off. She immediately reaches for her hood, to cover her identity to Zed.

It’s too late.

Zed gets to see a fluffy head of short hair, and an exposed neck that had a brand- something he recognizes.

It’s a brand of the Kinkou Order. He recognizes the circle within the three tomoe, even it’s a glance. It was a brand of accomplishment- something that recognized a person as an official ninja. They got to pick where it went, depending on their pain tolerance. A majority of ninja had it on the back of necks, but Akali had it go on her right shoulder blade while Kaida had it over her right collarbone.

This summoner had it on her bare left collarbone as her large hood exposed her shoulders.  
She scrambles to pick up her tomes, and bows in apology to Zed. “My apologies, Zed.” She turns to leave, but Zed follows her, grabbing the sleeve of her robes.

“Wait.” he commands, and she turns around to face again. “Why do you have the Kinkou Order brand?”

She visibly hesitates. “I...used to be a ninja before the fall.” Her eyes fall to the floor, nervous at his reaction.

“Who were you?” he demands, guessing it was Kaida.

“I was Sumire,” she explains, pulling off her hood. She has a scar over her right eye, and her angular eyes make her look like cat, much like a similar Noxian assassin- nothing like how Kaida’s softer gaze was. Her short hair was pulled back in a half ponytail, tied with a small white ribbon, the ends sticking up comically. Pulling her hood back on, she bows. “I’m sure I’m not who you’re looking for.” she continues. “I was nowhere at the level of Kaida was at, despite the same age.”

“You knew of Kaida?" the question lingers in the air as Sumire flinches at the power behind those words.

“Yes. She left the remaining of the Order to become a student of the Institute. She’s not allowed to meet champions yet.”

“Why?” he asks, and she sighs apologetically.

“Her presence would cause uproar within the Ionian champions that were formerly of the Kinkou Order and are Elders. Even if she was to be a summoner now, she would surely be found out, and a conflict would surely rise.” the summoner explains quietly. “I must get going now, I’m sorry, but I can’t tell you much more. This information is about two years old.”

“I see. Thank you, Sumire.” he nods, and they both leave the library, and “Sumire” leaving left and Zed right.

“Sumire” sighs as he disappears from view, and willing the appearance spell to fade. Her scar fades, and the one on her nose comes back, and her brand comes back to her right shoulder. That was close. The prospect of seeing Zed before she was ready terrified her. But, she'll don her "Sumire" and "Yoi" personalities for the time being, to make sure she won't be tracked.

“That was rather dramatic, don’t you think?” a Noxian snorts before the summoner turns around and recognizes his voice.

“Talon,” she hisses, and how she says it makes it feel like it’s poison to her. “Don’t you have knives to sharpen, an exile to seduce?” she asks casually, and he just chuckles darkly at her.

“Don’t you have a traitor to stalk? It’s pathetic.”

“Shut up and mind your own business.” she states, rolling her eyes and walking away from the assassin. He frowns, baring his teeth as he flashes forward toward the summoner. She reacts quickly, her tome falling to the floor as she dives under him and flips him onto his back on the floor. She’s got his arms pinned down as she sits on his chest with one hand, and the other with a hidden blade sticking out from her arm, pointed at his throat. “What did I tell you, Noxian?” she demands, the blade’s tip grazing his throat. “Mind your own business before I cause an act of war.”

“We can be delegates if that’s more your speed, Ionian.” she rolls her eyes as he tries to fight against her grip on his wrists.

“No.” she states, letting him go as she stands up, her other wrist flicking up as the blade retracts. “I have too much work to do right now, plus I’m not interested in you anymore.”

“What kind of work?” he snorts, and she responds.

“There’s a civil war brewing in Ionia. I’m supposed to be looking into it, and putting a seal on The Dark Sovereign.” she explains, and waves her hand, the arcane magic trembling as she produces a gold brooch pin in thin air, tossing it to the assassin.

“What the hell is this?” he demands as he catches it, and the summoner looks at him straight in the eye.

“Whatever is brewing by whoever’s instigating this, it’ll come after the high ranking officials everywhere and their family, including the Du Couteau family if it destroys Ionia. If you need help, just shatter this pin.”

“I don’t need help. I can kill on my own.”

“Exactly. You’ll be in some serious fuckin’ trouble if you call me.” she bares her teeth as her lips curl up, much like the one he just gave her. The Noxian raises an eyebrow at her, and is immediately troubled by her conniving look.

“You’re a weirdo, _Yoi_.” she laughs at this statement from him.

She has a playful grin on her face. “You can’t ever get away with trouble with any of us. We all remember,” she replies, walking away from Talon after collecting her tomes. “Remember. Shatter the pin.”

He rolls his eyes at her back, disappearing from any watching eyes.

Meanwhile, the mysterious Ionian delegate 'Yoi', walks back to her quarters in the summoners’ area. She feels a two presences coming close to her and then hears the soft landing of two ninja. She immediately knows who they are without turning around.

“Akali, Shen.” she greets, turning around for the two.

“You’ve heard the news, right?” Akali asks her ally, and “Yoi” shakes her head.

“No...What’s it?”

“Sen was elected commander of war.” Shen states. A raging fire of anger washes over the summoner, her tomes dropping as she curls her hands into fists.

“That fucking bitch…” she mutters, crushing the feather quill in her hand. “The one that instigated that attack from Zed on the Order, and the release of the seal on the Dark Sovereign.”

Akali is concerned for the former kunoichi as the other just stands there outraged, considering her complicated past with Zed and the summoner in front of her. “I think you should tell Kane and the Council.You have proof now that Elder Duri is dead.”

“I will.” the summoner’s voice drops in volume

“Kaida-” Akali uses the summoner’s former kunoichi name, and the summoner flinches at the name before she cuts the other off.

“I know, but the Han family is the reason why Ionia is in shambles, why Elder Eun and Shen’s father is dead. Why all three of us are in the Institute of War, and why I can’t be a ninja anymore.”

“Yes. Make sure to tell Kane, we’ll let Elder Karma know.” Akali nods, and the two ninja disappear in a flash.

The summoner picks up her tomes again, and runs to Kane’s office, huffing as she leans over his doorframe.

“What’s wrong? It’s not our meeting time,” her superior raises an eyebrow. Kane is an accomplished summoner from Noxus, who carried a muscular frame, a trait from so much physical training as a young adult, even if he was well in his middle ages. He was kind to his underling throughout her apprenticeship , and knew something was wrong when she was showing up with no word ahead of time.

“News…. From Akali and Shen,” she huffs, before continuing. “Sen Han has been elected commander of war for Ionia.”

“Sen Han?” Kane stops his letter, to lean closer to her as she walks forward, sitting at the chair in front of his desk. “Who’s that?”

“Ionia has a habit of locking away who they deem dangerous, such as Syndra,” she starts, and licks her lips nervously. “Sen Han was put in isolation for her abilities and enormous amount of mana, even if she was a member of the Han family. She’s also suspected in playing a role in the amount of destructive events that have happened in the past decade, including the deaths of Elder Eun, Elder Duri’s tampering of the seal on the Dark Sovereign, and the fall of the Kinkou Order.” 

“Her motivations could destroy Ionia, Kane. She’s affected everything that’s vital to Ionia. I know you’re not into Ionian politics but you’re-”

“What do you propose we do?” the Noxian asks, and Yoi opens her notes.

“We need to seal the Dark Sovereign fast. Find a way to start a revolution in Ionia.” she states, placing her tomes on his desk. “Or Sen will win.”

“I guess we study immediately, as Ionia is in danger.” Kane states, and and ‘Yoi’ nods.


End file.
